Exploring the distinguished literary canon of twentieth-century African-American women writers from Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison to Maya Angelou and Ntozake Shange, this course will examine black women's writing through fiction, poetry, and drama. In addition, we will also survey black women's writing in music. Using Jazz, Gospel, and Hip-Hop music pieces from artists Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and Beyonce, we will consider how these writers and musicians use their pens and musical voices to assert political and social freedom.